At Pirehill we strive to develop confident, self assured, positive young people who love to learn, who want to contribute and need to achieve. The governors of the school work together with the headteacher and dedicated team of staff to deliver this vision for the whole school community.

The core role of the governing body defined in the governors handbook is to :-

• Ensure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction;
• Hold the head teacher to account for the educational performance of the school and its pupils; and
• Oversee the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

We continually review how our work and how best to carry out our role efficiently. We meet as a whole governing body twice a term and have an annual plan of what we do at each meeting. The headteacher provides a report to governors for the second meeting of every term which gives an update on the many activities during the term and review of the school improvement plan and progress. It would not be possible to do everything within the meetings so we also have link governors with specific areas of review who meet with staff in school to look at particular elements in more detail and report back to the full governing body through link governor reports.

Who are the governors?

The governing body is made up of a specified number of different types of governors to represent the community. They are parents, staff and representatives from the community that have been co-opted onto the governing body. Governors serve for a specified number of years and we are always looking for new and enthusiastic people who care about the education of our children to join the governing body.

• Louise Kennedy: Chair of Governors.  Louise is a Co-opted Governor and qualified barrister specialising in family law representing local authorities, parents and children.  Louise is our Link Governor for Teaching and Learning.
• Matthew Beardmore: Vice Chair of Governors.  Matthew is a Co-opted Governor who works within the NHS in planning and performance management.  Matthew will use his experience to work closely with staff, governors and parents to help achieve the best possible standards of education for the children.  Matthew is our Link Governor for Health & Safety.
• Kerri Fenton : Headteacher
• Emily Dawson : As the Deputy Headteacher Emily is a co-opted member of the governing body.
• Mary Hassell : Mary is a Co-opted Governor with a background in healthcare and is our Link Governor for Safeguarding.
• Annie Hallett : Annie is a teacher at Pirehill and is the KS2 Leader, and lead teacher for English and Languages.
• Richard Burditt:  Richard is a Parent Governor, who has a background in digital and business transformation in the public and private sector, and runs his own business.  Richard is also our Link Governor for SEND and Pupil Premium.
• Andrew Harris: Andrew is a Parent Governor, and has a background in Engineering Services - working in the private sector on large electrification projects for Marine, Naval, Renewables & Industry and is passionate about our local community.  Andrew is our Link Governor for Finance.
• Matthew Davis: Matthew is a Parent Governor and a Chief Technology Officer, bringing extensive experience in technology, digital strategy, and management.  As a governor, he is committed to supporting the school in delivering high-quality education and ensuring that children have access to the best possible opportunities for learning and development.  Matthew is our Link Governor for Teaching and Learning.
• Simon Halfhead : Local Authority Governor.  Si has a background in Primary Education. Having spent the majority of his teaching time in Early Years and Key Stage 1, he worked as a class teacher, phase leader and senior leader in Sandwell before moving to Staffordshire to carry out a similar role. This experience gives him an insight and understanding to strategic school development; specifically regarding curriculum design, high quality teaching strategies and maximising pupil progress. Since his previous role as a teacher, Si transitioned into Higher Education where he is involved with Initial Teacher Training (Primary Education) at the University of Wolverhampton.

   

Governor Terms of Office